Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to additive manufacturing and/or three dimensional printing techniques. In particular, this application relates to hybrid support systems and methods for generating a hybrid support system using additive manufacturing techniques and/or three dimensional printing.
Description of the Related Technology
Additive manufacturing and/or three dimensional printing techniques allow for fabrication of three dimensional objects directly from computer generated files. These additive manufacturing techniques provide the ability to quickly manufacture both simple and complex objects without tooling.
In some additive manufacturing techniques, high amounts of stresses and/or strains may occur during the build or generation of the three dimensional object. For example, thermal and/or mechanical stresses and/or strains may occur due to a high temperature of an energy source used in generating the three dimensional object. As another example, internal mechanical stresses and/or strains of the object may be caused by properties of the particular material being used, such as shrinking or expansion as the material is treated. In one specific example, high stresses and/or strains typically occur in the processing of metal and metal powders in the absence of a pre-heating system. Techniques for processing metal and metal powders include, for example, direct metal laser sintering (EOS GmbH), laser curing (Concept Laser GmbH), selective laser melting (SLM Solutions GmbH) or sintering. High stresses and/or strains on the object may cause certain portions of the object to deform during the build, which may result in the build crashing or a defective object. Accordingly, it may be desirable to support the three dimensional object using a support to keep the object in place and/or to prevent deformations of the object during the build process.
Various problems exist in the use of supports to keep the object in place and/or to prevent deformation. For example, it may be expensive to create a support that is large enough to sufficiently support the three dimensional object due to the cost of the materials needed to generate the support. Further, removal of a support from the object during post-processing after the object has been built is costly, may leave residue on the object, and/or may damage the object.
In light of these and other deficiencies recognized by the inventors, there is a need for hybrid support systems and methods of generating the same to provide strong support for three dimensional objects at a low cost without damaging the object.